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Full Moon:
July 2 & 31
New Moon:
July 17
STAR GAZE (July 16):
Sun: Sets at 8:44pm, astronomical twilight ends at 10:32pm
and begins at 4:49am the next morning. The Sun rises the next morning at 6:27am.
Between astronomical twilights, we get about 6.3 hours of darkness.
Moon: (illuminated 0%) The Moon sets at 8:41pm.
Jupiter & it's moons: Jupiter is only 29 degrees
above the horizon at sunset. Jupiter sets at 11:21pm. The Great Red Spot will
not be visible before Jupiter sets, and no Jovian moon events occur tonight.
Saturn: Saturn is only 11 degrees above the western
horizon at sunset, and so finally appears too close to the sun for us to observe
clearly.
Asteroids: Juno is on the Scutum-Aquila border
at the middle of the month. It is 20 degrees above the eastern horizon at sunset
on the night of the gaze, but rising, and is magnitude 9.6.
SOLAR SYSTEM:
Mercury: Low in the west just after sunset for most of
the month.
Venus: Rises about 1.5 hours before the sun at the beginning of the month, but more than 3 hours before the sun by the end of the month. It shines at a stunning magnitude -4.5 this month.
Saturn: At superior conjunction on July 8, so it is not visible early in the month. By the end of the month it rises about 5:00am, 1.5 hours before the sun.
Uranus (in Capricornus), Neptune (in Aquarius), & Pluto
(in Ophiuchus) are visible in July. Pluto was at opposition in June, and is
magnitude 13.8 this month.
DEEP SKY OBJECTS (DSO's) (Not
the biggest or best, but interesting) :
M24, NGC6603, B92, B93: The Earth is located on the inner edge
of the Orion-Cygnus Arm of the galaxy. When we look towards Sagittarius, we
are looking across a void at the Sagittarius-Carina Arm (6,000 light years (ly)
away) and towards the center of the galaxy 27,000 ly away. Our view to the galactic
center is blocked by dust, but we can see through a gap in the Sagittarius-Carina
Arm to the Norma Spiral Arm 14,000 ly away. In this gap appears the star cloud
M24 and its several associated objects. M24 is 530 ly long and is easily visible
to the naked eye.
NGC6603: A small (5') but dense open cluster of faint stars, easily seen
in scopes 8" or larger. True size 20 ly. (Location: 18hr 18.4m RA
-18 deg 25' Dec, in Sagittarius).
B92, B93: Dark clouds of dust that obscure the stars beyond. B92 is one
of the most easily seen dark nebulae, about 15'x10' in apparent size.
M24 itself appears very large (95'x35', 3 times the size of the full
moon) and is best viewed through a rich-field telescope. Keep in mind that what
you are seeing is twice as far away as the Swan Nebula (M17) to the NNE and
the Triffid Nebula (M20) to the SW.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Earth is at aphelion (farthest from the sun): July 5th.
Pegasus meteor shower: July 9th, washed out by the moon.
35th anniversary of the 1st manned landing on the moon:
July 20th.
Delta Aquarid meteor shower: July 27th, washed out by
the moon.
Alpha Capricornid meteor shower: July 29, washed out by the moon.
CLUB STARGAZE:
You can check the AstroAsheville
Yahoo group (or call Tim @ 251-0040 or John @ 251-1933 x17 (before 5:00)
or 667-9268 (after 5:00)) for a go/no-go decision and to verify location.
CLUB MEETING:
Indoor club meetings are usually the first Thursday of every
month, at 6 p.m. in the Sim’s
Group offices (230 Short Coxe Ave., Asheville, NC.)
Happy Starwatching! Dress Warm!
Blue Ridge Parkway Information
Line is 828-298-0398
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(Much of the above info is derived from Sky & Telescope magazine, Ottewell's
Astronomical Calendar, The Night Sky Observer's Guide, Burnam's Celestial Handbook,
Megastar 5.0, Planets202, the ol' Miller Planesphere, and a little (very little)
common sense.)
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